My plan to attend the game on Wednesday didn't come to fruition, which ended up not being such a huge loss (pun somewhat intended). As is always the case during the holidays, friends and family are first in line. 2nd is beer (which can be mixed with holiday option #1). 3rd is the World Junior Championship. And last but not least is pretty much everything else, from hockey to sleep.

All I saw from Wednesday night's game were the highlights from NHL.com and it looked like the Sens had their chances. I also cruised through the World O Senators blogs to get some background for this post and the conclusion is a 2 part breakdown: missed opportunities and weak defensive play.

It looked like Elliott let in a few softies with no thanks given to his first line of defense. Kuba....what more can be said about the high priced veteran? He brings nothing to this team except giveaways and turnovers.

Well it's time to go over a few New Year's resolutions for your favorite Ottawa based pro team located in Kanata:

Filip Kuba

Work on hitting offensive players from the opposing team, remember that clearing the puck out of the defensive zone is a good tactic and stop with the giveaways.

Mike Fisher

Take the rest of the season off to get healthy and realize that he's a 3rd line centre getting primo minutes. Be thankful.

Chris Kelly

Thank the good people at Easton for the magical sticks of goal scoring. Get more.

Alexei Kovalev

Ease off the saxophone practice and work on attacking the offensive zone alone against 5 defenders.

Jason Spezza

Stop crying himself to bed while clutching his Heatley plush doll and repeating "I'm a creative guy and those turnovers are gonna happen."

Continue to embarrass the forwards on the team. Out: Two and a Half Men. In: CSI: Byward Market.

Brian Lee

Start a food vendor business at Scotiabank Place featuring the Lee Me Down: a battered deep fried burger topped with jalapeno cheese and chicken fingers (preferably dinosaur shaped) and 2 regular burger patties used as buns.

Daniel Alfredson

Keep doing what he does and continue to bleed out profusely for this team...and not complain about it. Can someone give this guy the fuckin Order of Canada already?

Bryan Murray

Get a nice letter of recommendation from Melnyk and ask players to give recommendations on LinkedIn.

New Year's Eve Showdown

Columbus is on tap tonight with Jim O'Brien getting the call up to play. So I'm assuming that Mr. Smith will hang out with Lee in the press box and Jimmy O will get his shot. Looking forward to seeing the kid play.

Also looking forward to the Canada / Sweden tilt today which will showcase the future of Ottawa's last line of defense: Lehner from Sweden and Cowen from Canada.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Raise your hands if you have a long term shoulder injury? (photo via CBC )﻿

﻿According to the the news out there in the webosphere, Spezza is out long term with an upper body injury (shoulder) for at least 6 weeks.﻿ So what does this mean for Ottawa's first line centre? Tons more time to spend with his loved ones during the holidays and comedy movie marathons to work on his laughter execution. So what does this mean for the Ottawa Senators? One lucky farm boy will get a chance to impress the big wigs in the big city. And your options are: Locke, Bass and O'Brien. My choice would be O'Brien. I heard that he picked up his game and the Tim Murray interview praising the "lost" prospect during yesterdays game kinda sold it for me. He's also 6'2" - 200 lbs. But according to NHL.com and the Ottawa Sun, Bass is getting the call. All we are saying, is give Jim a chance. Dude hasn't played one regular season game and he's been with the franchise for 5 years (Bingo for 2 full season including this year).

Karlsson : Priceless

Don't think I've ever seen this on any Sens team since the inaugural season: a defenseman as the leading scorer. I don't have an issue with it, makes me wonder what the forwards are doing in terms in offense. Pessimism aside, Karlsson is an all star in the making and without a doubt the puck moving dman we've been waiting for all these years. He's the catalyst for the offense and is surprising teams with his skill. Can't wait to see what Byslma says about number 65 during the intermission in HBO's 24.

Getting Elliott's Full Value

Elliott played his best game since Leglass went down by delivering a career game. He made 44 saves for the win and almost got a shutout (I'm blaming someone on twitter for claiming a shutout after the second intermission. Can't remember who it was but shame on them. Speaking of twitter, this might be a sign I'm getting old but what's up with some of the hockey fans in twitville and the constant need to tweet profanity? Don't get it and a quick unfollow usually does the trick). So, no shutout for Elliott. This seems to be the life of Brian this year: close but not close enough. I am cool with Crosby getting the goal to continue his streak. It would be nice to see him ride this for a long stretch. Don't see him breaking Gretzky's season point streak which stands at 51 games. Not impossible, but will be a challenge for the Kid.

Paying for Not Going to the Game

I was planning on attending last night's game against the Pens but I was faced with a tough choice: go to Scotiabank Place and miss a large part of the WJC Canada - Russia game or stay at home to watch both games and prevent getting a second mortgage on my condo to buy beer at the arena. Well I stayed home and it was somewhat bittersweet. But the beer was cheap and that makes any red blooded guy happy. I will try to check out the Carolina game on Wednesday if the price is right.

Quickies

Clouston wore the same tie for the first time since I've been tracking the Cloustonian Tie Color Effect. Yellow with black dots now sits at 1 W1 L.

Kuba looked terrible again. And to make matters worse, he's playing with Gonchar.

The Letang hit on Spezza didn't look intentional but the fans rained down with the boos every time he touched the puck. I'm sure the chorus of disapproval really hurt his feelings.

On the flip side, the Cooke elbow to Shannon's face wasn't even called. Shannon got a penalty for jumping on Letang after Spezza fell into the boards. Cooke got off scott free.

Ottawa is 4 point behind the 8th place Bruins, who have 4 games in hand.

The Leafs beat the Devils last night, which doesn't mean jack to anyone (except maybe Boston).

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

The Elliott Christmas stocking. New feature!! It's full of holes (pic via sportskids.com)

﻿﻿I made this list. And checked it twice. I'm getting rid of all the naughties in my (newly) annual HFBoards Trade Wish List Madness. I'll do my best to not propose ridiculous trades as the title of this post might suggest, but this might prove ridiculously difficult given the state of the Club as we're nearing the end of 2010. With that said...

Carrie Takes the Wheel

To Nashville

Fisher
Foligno
Kuba

To Ottawa

Ellis
Leanne Rimes

With Mrs Fisher living the country bumpkin's dream it only makes sense for Fisher to live and play in Predator Country. Rimes' cheating heart will surely bring stability to the Sens locker room.

Ellis is an undersized defensive prospect but will compliment the back end when guys like Cowen and Weircioch join the ranks. Epic power play win in the long term.

Minnesota Dreaming

To Minnesota

Lee
Shannon
Winchester

To Ottawa

Pretty much anyone under 25 with less than 3 concussions

2010 press box All-Star Lee needs out and playing in his home state will do him good. Maybe even rejuvenate his career at the ripe old age of 23. The 4th line plugs will bring some stability to either the Wild's 4th line or AHL affiliate.

I'm positive that you've noticed what I'm trying to accomplish here. Purge the "not working so well" parts and bring in some youth. I don't have hard stats but the majority of teams that won that heavy silver cupped trophy have focused on building their roster internally through youth...and not by signing past their prime Russian athletes.

Return To Sender

To San Jose

Michalek

To Ottawa

Cheechoo

Hmmmm...why the heck not? This ones all about shots and giggles.

This One Hurts so Much

To Vancouver

Alfredsson
Philips

To Ottawa

Bieksa
Hodgson

I ruined 4 keyboards typing this section. Short circuits due to crying too much. As painful as this trade would be, I need to see the Captain win a cup before he retires and nothing would make me happier. The Sens had their chance and I believe the windows has closed and is boarded shut. Vancouver is by far the greatest Canadian based contender and the logical choice.

Phillips will walk off during the off season and I'm sure the Canucks can use him in a supporting role. Bieksa is the roughnecked defensman with an offensive touch that the Sens need. Hodgson would be a nice fit with the newly implemented youth movement, even if he is injury prone. Injured Hodgson > healthy Kovalev.

Monday, December 20, 2010

The Sens were exactly what the Caps physician ordered. The diagnosis: a comeback sparked by 3 unanswered goals all scored in the second period ending an 8 game losing streak. As for the Senators, the role players led the charge while the million dollar actors stayed behind the scenes. Kelly is 3 goals away from being the team's leading scorer. A very telling stat for the 2010-11 season which can be summed up with a 3 letter acronym: WTF.

What the Blood Clot

Ottawa is winning 67% of their games when scoring first. Which, if you ask me, isn't very strong. Over the last 5 years, they averaged out at 74%. If you look at the top tier teams and their average, well they come in at a cool 83%. Sens Army, welcome to the bottom 33%.

Doctor Not-So-Feelgood

Leclaire was playing well until he broke his jaw eating oatmeal and Elliott has not held up his end of the bargain in his absence...which is stopping pucks...when he's in front of the net...while the team is playing hockey. This would be the perfect time for Lehner to get some experience but we'll see him play for Team Sweden in the WJC. Update: Brodeur on the fast Greyhound to Binghamton, Leclaire backing up or hopefully starting.

Offensive Cardiac Arrest

Barring triple bypass surgery, this offense needs a kick start that a defibrillator cannot provide. Alfie missed the net early in the first on what looked like a guaranteed goal. The significance of that missed shot proved to be huge. What about the dudes that were expected to, I don't know, score some goals during the season? The biggest culprits are Foligno and Regin. Head on down to Black Aces to read his take (which I'm really feeling) on these young players.

Sick Days

Sens will play their next game Thursday against the Nashville Predators. A few days off might do this team some good.

Big thanks to Greg @ Puck Daddy for introducing SILN to the puck heads out in the wide world of blogs. Cheers!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

It happened again. The Sens score 3 or more goals, outshoot their opponents and lose in overtime. Some of the players are saying that they are missing the killer instinct. I would say that they're missing the defensive instinct. And Mr. Clouston, please stop with the trap when you have the lead. That sh!t never works. Oldest hockey cliche # 2: your best defense is great offense. It works. Yellow ties with black dots don't.

Bill Murray-ian Effort

Alfie scored another goal which now brings his total to 3 in 3 games. Looks like the Alfie-Fisher-Foligno line is starting to come together which is great news. Now if the Spezza line can start getting some points on the board (and stop being a wimp), the Sens will have 2 strong offensive units. Now they should find a way to fix that defense thing, which is kinda important.

Scared of Their Own Shadow

So you figure that scoring 5 goals would be enough to win a game. You figured wrong. This defense is porous at best. It would be easy to continue to point out that everyone's favorite shot blocking Russian left a big hole on the defense, but he's only one dude. You can't replace a defender of his ilk with an offensive minded Dman like Gonchar. Too many puck moving cats, and not enough defensemen that thrive on playing...well...defense. PS Kuba was terrible once again.

I'm Such a Douch-ene Bag

In my last post, I said that I was looking forward to seeing Duchene play since we don't get exposed to much Western hockey. Well he showed the Sens why he's a young star on the rise. Smarts, speed and that killer instinct I spoke about earlier. His goal in OT demonstrated how vulnerable the Ottawa defensive can be...and is. Fun to see him play. Not so fun seeing him take care of business against the Sens.

The Header is Alright

I upgraded my blog's header image. From a Chevette to a Cadillac. This is due to using Photoshop instead of Paint. This is my first time using the program and it was a bit frustrating, but I'm pretty happy with the results. I also created the pic for this post (Kuba-hog) and I'm hoping to do some more...well at least until the Photoshop trial runs out.

Capital Cup is going down tonight. Caps. Sens. 2 struggling teams playing on a Sunday. Should be a barn burner.

It seems like we're seeing a pattern here. Success follows the Sens when they participate in non hockey activities. In this case, it was hanging out with their dads. Senalesson #1: stop focusing on hockey and continue with activities that have nothing to do with your game, including practice. Allen Iverson is smiling somewhere in Turkey since he knew he was right all along.

Alfie is Your Daddy

Nice to see the Cap get his second goal in 2 games after ending that atrocious streak. His shot was wired to the top right corner and reminds all the haters out there that he can still do what he does best: Be Alfredsson. He also added an assist on Chris "Empty Netter" Kelly's goal. Oldest cliché in hockey: keep your stick on the ice and drive to the net. In the end, it's a simple game so K.I.S.S. it up.

Look at me Pops! I'm not a Lee-sor!

Mr. Hockey Brian Lee was back playing against his hometown team in what seemed like a pity insertion into the line up. I heard from my sources (always wanted to say that even though I have none) that Carkner is injured and that's why Lee replaced him. Besides the penalty he took in the second period, he was unnoticeable. But I have to give it up to Lee for being so damn patient. Sitting out for 25 games must suck and it looks like the management team rewarded him.

Twinkle in his Eye

Karlsson brought his offensive game to the ice last night by collecting an assist on all 3 Ottawa goals. That's the good news. The not so good news is that his defensive game needs to pick up ASAP. He needs to learn how to stop forwards that come into Ottawa's zone by using his stick and cutting off angles. I understand he's a small dude (we are the same height and weight) but that's no excuse. I saw too many Wild forwards slip by him and that really sucks for his defensive partner since they need to cover his butt. Gotta take the positive with the negative.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿If you haven't seen the first episode of HBO's 24/7 Penguins-Capitals, you don't like hockey. Actually, you hate hockey and you watch shows like Glee. And you hate yourself. Go see a psychiatrist. Now.

The show documents the weeks leading up to the annual Winter Classic with behind the scene access to both teams. This is a first for the NHL. Many lovers of the puck groaned when they annouced that the Winter Classic would feature The Golden Boy vs the Gr8. Hero vs Villain. But who else would you showcase for this series leading up to the Classic? This is the best media (when I say media I mean NHL) created rivalry and deserves this kind of attention. Crosby is by far the best player in the NHL (arguably the world) and if you don't agree, please refer to paragraph #1.

A few of my favorite scenes: Pens locker room before the Toronto game where Bylsma called the Leafs "bitches". The Pens charter flight to Buffalo. And overall, seeing the contrast between the Caps and Pens locker rooms.

It's amazing to see how negative Boudreau is in the room. No encouragment whatsoever. He's definetly a Brucie Downer. On the flip side, Bylsma is cool and positive, and the players eat it up. Makes you wonder what happens in the Sens room during pre-game and intermissions.

Was anyone else pleasently suprised with the profanity? I loved every f-bomb I heard during the show. I've always wanted to watch a televised game with nothing but the ice level microphones turned up. We can call it NHL uncensored or NHL to the Extreme. I hope this opens the door for those type of broadcasts and yes, I would pay extra for that feed.

Sens vs Wild tonight. Let's hope the can start this road trip with a win.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Did anyone else fist pump the shit out of the air in front of their TV when Spezza scored on that penalty shot? For a quick second I convinced myself of the "turning the corner" moment. 3 unanswered goals to tie it up, agressive forecheck, Clouston's grey tie..it was all there.

The Gift of Alfie

After what seemed like an eternity, the Captain got on the board. They were playing well up to the point when he scored, even though they were down by 3. Isn't it absolutely mental that Alfredsson is the team's leading offensive player even though he had an 10 game pointless streak? As Alfie goes, the team goes. And the team rallied back to tie it until...

The Charitiosity of Spezza (the giveaway was so ridiculous that the creation of a new word was necessary)

Spezza got into the holiday spirit by giving Ottawa the lead, then charitably turned over the puck in OT where Little scored the winner. He'll learn his lesson someday, right? I don't mean to go all Pierre McGuire on you by stating the obvious, but Giggles has done this before and will continue to do so until he retires.

The Fall from Grace O'Malley's

All of y'all screaming for a trade or hiroshiming the club need to realize this: the Senators have had a great run over the last 12 years and its time for a new plan. A plan sans Murray and possibly Clouston. Both of their contracts are up this year and we can expect them to be working in a different postal code.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Leclaire is injured again. I'm as shocked as you are. I'm going to start a rumor: Leclaire to the Islanders for Dipietro. Problem solved...No clue who will be called up yet since Lehner will be loaned to Sweden for the World Junior Championship.

Shattered Dreams

Kovalev is unhappy. Clouston is unimpressed. Murray hates Melnyk for convincing him to sign Kovalev. Sens Army is confused, but not surprised. In the end, here's the deal: Kovalev holds all the cards here since he has a no movement clause in his contract, and if any team is crazy enough to want this guy, he can kill the deal. According to everyone's favorite daily tabloid rag newspaper the Ottawa Sun, a hockey team from Missouri actually wants this guy. What's up with pre-madonna forwards and the Senators?

2 points

The Leafs are 2 points behind the Sens with 2 games in hand. Toronto easily beat the Habs last night (yes I know that Carey Price wasn't playing) 3 to 1. They have beat some tough teams recently, which is more than Ottawa can say. The Sens beat the Devils...that's like saying that I beat my 2 year old niece at tic tac toe.

How fun has Crosby been to watch this year? This cat is on a mad tear and I hope he keeps his point streak going as long as possible. An 18 game point streak while the team has won 12 in row. What makes this even more incredible is that he plays with Dupuis and Kunitz. I hope I get a chance to see him when I'm in Ottawa for the holidays. Got December 26th marked down on the calendar.

Unsolved Mysteries

When will Alfie get a damn point? Who will be Elliott's back-up? Will Kovalev accept a trade and how quickly can they get that done? Is Jared Cowen the real deal? Is grey the winning Cloustonian tie color?

Friday, December 10, 2010

How many times can you hold the lead until you lose a game? According to last night's performance, the answer is 3. Sens are winners of 1 of their last 6 and the Fearless Captain hasn't collected a point in 10 games, which is freaking me out. Getting a shotgun, boarding up the windows and doors, hiding in the bunker with 2 years of supplies freaking out.

Glimmer of Hope

Spezza and Butler: good. Butler looked much more comfortable and had a few quality chance. The kid can play and can make those thread the needle passes. Spezza was playing with blazing speed yesterday which I thought would've rubbed off on the rest of the team. It didn't but...Fisher and Foligno: gooder. Fisher scored a few and played well with Foligno. That Foligno kid has game. Needs to bring it consistently or pretend its the pre-season.

Couldn't Hold Down the Fort

When your best D-man is Campoli, there's a problem. This is not a knock on his play. From where in sitting near Queen and Yonge, he's been the most consistent blueliner for a bit. Speed, quick decisions and intensity. If I see the defense back off one more time when opposing forwards enter Ottawa's zone, I might throw my remote through my LCD. The first Ranger goal was preventable but Gonchar let Stepan get to the net with ease. And Kuba...what's point of talking about him again.

This defense needs serious help. If the team can address this issue, the wins will come.

Elliot had a bad game too. Consider this your mulligan, sir.

Hit me!

Please send me some feedback on the blog so far. Would love to hear what you have to say.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Weber was in shock after he was hit by Kelly's elbow, but quickly gathered himself for the ensuing powerplay.

From what I can see online, there's no talk of Kelly getting a suspension for his hit on Weber. From my point of view, it was accidental and Weber didn't prepare himself for the hit. But what really karateed my chops was seeing Weber laughing on the bench after the hit. Life goes on while the world witnesses just how untouchable Kelly really is.

"If do Right Kuba, no can Defense" - Mr Miyagi (kinda)Did you know that "Kuba" translated to English from Czech means "really, really, really....really bad giveaway"? I wasn't keeping track, but at least 2 of the Canadiens goals where a direct result of Kuba's bumbles. I wasn't sad when he was out of the lineup.

Gimme that Black Belt. Here Take this White One Instead.BB Gunns, or Butler, was quickly demoted to the 4th line and played minimal minutes. Maybe this kid should not have been called up and they should have let him develop with the B-Sens. I'm no Bryan Murray, I'm just shlaying.

Seriously out of Ninja StarsThe Sens have scored one or less goals in 12 of their 29 games played this year. Well that's brutal. To make matters worse, Alfie is on an 8 game pointless streak. Let's hope he ends this streak against the Rangers. And PLEASE put Regin back in the lineup!

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Chris Kelly the Hart Trophy nominated scoring dynamo single handedly won the game by netting a hat trick this late afternoon. Oh yeah that Leclaire guy played well too.

For those of you on the Butler watch, under 15 mins of play time with no shots and a -1. Didn't notice him on the ice but I was streaming the game watching it through a pixelated filter. Thanks for the blackout Sportsnet! Sportsnet will be the star of a post in the near future.

We need answers!

When is Alfie going to get a point? Will Clouston continue to alternate Ottawa's net minders or is he playing the win and stay in game? Is Kelly on pace for a career high 18 goals? Will Cox and Brennan finally have that Death Match we've all been waiting for?

The Cloustonian Tie Color Effect

The CTCE tracker is now live and found on the right side of the page. It's a social experiment to measure the correlation between Clouston's tie color and the teams performance. My report will be sent to the Sens brass with my recommendations for the appropriate tie color for the playoffs (should they make the tournament).

10,410 seconds. 174 minutes. That's the last time the Senators scored a goal. You have to feel for Elliott and Leclaire since they never get any goal support. Elliott did everything that he could last night but couldn't stop that Vanek slapshot in the shootout.

Triple Chocolate Donut
Peter Regin showed us again that he can be the hardest working player on the ice. Only problem is that he's not scoring. Is this another case of Vermettisitis? A natural center playing the wing who will eventually be traded and find success playing his role and his position somewhere else? Only time will tell.

Day Old Donut
Carkner had the least amount of ice time among defensemen and the most penalty minutes. Never a good combo even if you add a coffee or the soup of the day.

Employee of the Day
We saw what Erik Karlsson can bring to the table last night and that's speed. I've seen him try the homerun pass way to many times this season which scares the candy sprinkles out of me. Karlsson needs to push the puck up on the rush and back up the defense. He did it a few times against the Sabres with success and just needs to remember to read the play before trying to go coast to coast.

Fresh Donut of the Day

Looks like we'll get a look at Bobby Butler today for the first time this season. He's leading the B Sens in goals and has been lighting it up with Locke. Don't expect him to turn this team around in one game, but his offense will definitely be a welcome addition. I'm hoping that he gets a chance to play on one of the top 2 lines with Foligno or Shannon taking a seat in the press box.

Prepping the Fryer for a New Batch
Game time is 5 pm for the Rangers / Sens game today. I've had my fill of donuts.

Please drop me a line and let me know what you think about the blog. This is new for me and any feedback is appreciated.